How we will continue to fight for Ballard Light Rail

Last night, the Sound Transit Board voted to approve a proposal that put the future funding of Ballard Light Rail into question. Despite being projected to serve the most daily riders of any Sound Transit project, funding to complete construction of the project has not been identified.

I pushed every lever I had to change this proposal. From the beginning of this process, I made myself clear — we need a date, design, and construction funding to get to Ballard. Working closely with King County Executive Girmay Zahilay and others, we were able to accomplish two out of three of those goals. However, I voted no on this proposal because construction funding is still in limbo.

There’s no question this is a major setback. But, this is not the end of the line for Ballard Light Rail. The only reason the Ballard Link is not dead is because of your advocacy. Today, we have more support from Sound Transit Board Members for Ballard than we did when this was initially proposed. The work we did together scored some critical improvements to the plan that will help us win this fight.

What Sound Transit’s vote means for Ballard

Sound Transit approved a plan last night to address their long-term budget shortfalls. As part of that plan, the Board of Directors fully funded building the Ballard Link extension from SODO to Seattle Center, but did not identify funding to construct light rail from Seattle Center to Ballard.

I fought hard for an amendment to the plan that would have prioritized funding to build light rail from Westlake to Ballard before funding construction from SODO to Seattle Center. Unfortunately, that amendment was not accepted.

How we can still save Ballard light rail

At the beginning of this process, Sound Transit’s proposal was to just stop building light rail once they reach Seattle Center until some future time when they got additional funding. Because of our advocacy and the thousands of people who spoke out, that’s no longer the case.

Here are some of the important improvements we won that were not in the original proposal:

1. Sound Transit will have to release a timeline for reaching Ballard
When we started this conversation, Sound Transit proposed indefinitely postponing Ballard light rail with no timeline for when it would be completed. I fought for and won an amendment that will require them to release a date range for when light rail will reach Ballard under the current plan. This date will certainly be bad, likely showing that Sound Transit’s plan sets the Ballard Link back by decades. However, releasing that date range is critical for transparency and to start working on moving that date sooner.

2. Design costs for the Ballard Link Extension are fully funded
I worked to ensure that all of the $300 million in design costs for entire Ballard Link Extension are fully funded. This will ensure the project continues to move forward and gives us time to close the funding gap while that is happening.

3. Sound Transit will be required explore new cost-saving measures to complete the Ballard Link and have stronger accountability
An amendment proposed by Executive Zahilay, which I supported, will require Sound Transit to explore new cost-saving measures and technology that will bring down the cost of Ballard Light Rail. We have heard a number of strategies from community members that Sound Transit simply has not explored. This will require them to do so. It will also require them to be more accountable to our community and report on ways they are mitigating the harm caused by delaying this project. Every single Board Member voted to approve this amendment.

4. Sound Transit will have to present ways to close the funding gap to get to Ballard
Next year, Sound Transit will have to give the Board of Directors options to improve its revenue and financing tools. The way Sound Transit finances light rail is holding the agency back; Sound Transit currently only uses 30 percent of its legal debt capacity. Making some limited, commonsense adjustments to this policy could not only help complete the Ballard Link, but it could also help deliver all projects faster and with less costly inflation.

5. Further consideration of the Westlake to Ballard Starter Line
My amendment to prioritize funding to connect Ballard to Westlake Station before building a second downtown tunnel did not get majority support from the Board of Directors yesterday. However, several Board Members who voted no were interested in the idea and expressed interest in studying it further. Sound Transit only gave Board Members two weeks to propose, discuss, and vote on amendments. With more time, work, and information, we could continue push for the board to approve the Westlake to Ballard Starter Line and build to Ballard sooner.

What’s next?

This fight isn’t over — your advocacy made sure of that. The thousands of people who showed up to town halls, spoke at public comment, and wrote to the Sound Transit Board in support of light rail made sure of that.

Thank you especially to Save Ballard Light Rail and my fellow Seattle City Councilmembers who have been such strong supporters of this project. I will continue working with all of you to hold Sound Transit accountable, to ensure they keep their promise to our community, and to build light rail to Ballard.

— Dan